Individuality E-Book

Robert Green Ingersoll

• Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

In "Individuality," Robert Green Ingersoll crafts a profound exploration of the concept of the self against the backdrop of 19th-century America, a period marked by rapid social and intellectual upheaval. His literary style blends eloquence with a fervent oratorical quality, drawing on both classical philosophy and contemporary scientific thought. Through a series of compelling essays, Ingersoll championed personal freedom, self-expression, and the significance of individual thought, arguing that conformity stifles human potential and authentic existence. This work reflects the broader intellectual currents of the time, including transcendentalism and the burgeoning secularism that questioned traditional dogmas and celebrated human reason. As a prominent Freethinker and a formidable public figure, Ingersoll was influenced by his own experiences of skepticism towards institutional religion and societal norms. His advocacy for reason, truth, and individual rights stemmed from a life of profound inquiry and engagement with social issues, including women's rights and abolition. This background enriched his writings, as he sought to empower readers to embrace their individuality and challenge the status quo, positioning himself as a voice of rationalism and humanist philosophy in an increasingly complex world. "Individuality" is a timeless call to arms for all who seek to cultivate their authentic selves amidst external pressures. Readers interested in the intersections of personal identity, ethics, and social progress will find Ingersoll's insights not only relevant but transformative. A cornerstone of American liberal thought, this work is essential for anyone who wishes to understand the enduring importance of individual agency in shaping both personal lives and societal norms.

Leseprobe

Robert Green Ingersoll

Individuality

From 'The Gods and Other Lectures'

Published by Good Press, 2021

[email protected]

EAN 4064066099794

Table of Contents

Cover

Titlepage

INDIVIDUALITY

"HIS SOUL WAS LIKE A STAR AND DWELT APART."

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INDIVIDUALITY

Table of Contents

"HIS SOUL WAS LIKE A STAR AND DWELT APART."

Table of Contents

ON every hand are the enemies of individuality and mental freedom. Custom meets us at the cradle and leaves us only at the tomb. Our first questions are answered by ignorance, and our last by superstition. We are pushed and dragged by countless hands along the beaten track, and our entire training can be summed up in the word—suppression. Our desire to have a thing or to do a thing is considered as conclusive evidence that we ought not to have it, and ought not to do it. At every turn we run against cherubim and a flaming sword guarding some entrance to the Eden of our desire. We are allowed to investigate all subjects in which we feel no particular interest, and to express the opinions of the majority with the utmost freedom. We are taught that liberty of speech should never be carried to the extent of contradicting the dead witnesses of a popular superstition. Society offers continual rewards for self-betrayal, and they are nearly all earned and claimed, and some are paid.

We have all read accounts of Christian gentlemen remarking, when about to be hanged, how much better it would have been for them if they had only followed a mother's advice. But after all, how fortunate it is for the world that the maternal advice has not always been followed. How fortunate it is for us all that it is somewhat unnatural for a human being to obey. Universal obedience is universal stagnation; disobedience is one of the conditions of progress. Select any age of the world and tell me what would have been the effect of implicit obedience. Suppose the Church had had absolute control of the human mind at any time, would not the words liberty and progress have been blotted from human speech? In defiance of advice, the world has advanced.

Suppose the astronomers had controlled the science of astronomy; suppose the doctors had controlled the science of medicine; suppose kings had been left to fix the forms of government; suppose our fathers had taken the advice of Paul, who said, "be subject to the powers that be, because they are ordained of God;" suppose the Church could control the world to-day, we would go back to chaos and old night. Philosophy would be branded as infamous; Science would again press its pale and thoughtful face against the prison bars, and round the limbs of liberty would climb the bigot's flame.

It is a blessed thing that in every age some one has had individuality enough and courage enough to stand by his own convictions,—some one who had the grandeur to say his say. I believe it was Magellan who said, "The Church says the earth is flat; but I have seen its shadow on the moon, and I have more confidence even in a shadow than in the Church." On the prow of his ship were disobedience, defiance, scorn, and success.

The trouble with most people is they bow to what is called authority; they have a certain reverence for the old because it is old. They think a man is better for being dead, especially if he has been dead a long time. They think the fathers of their nation were the greatest and best of all mankind. All these things they implicitly believe because it is popular and patriotic, and because they were told so when they were very small, and remember distinctly of hearing mother read it out of a book. It is hard to over-estimate the influence of early training in the direction of superstition. You first teach children that a certain book is true—that it was written by God himself—that to question its truth is a sin, that to deny it is a crime, and that should they die without believing that book they will be forever damned without benefit of clergy. The consequence is, that long before they read that book, they believe it to be true. When they do read it their minds are wholly unfitted to investigate its claims. They accept it as a matter of course.